EU vows migrant crackdown amid surge in number of asylum-seekers

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has pledged the swift return of “irregular” migrants to their home countries and a crackdown on the “brutal business” of migrant smuggling.

“We will decide who comes to the European Union, and under what circumstances. Not the smugglers,″ von der Leyen declared on Sunday during a visit with Italy’s premier to a tiny fishing island overwhelmed with nearly 7,000 arrivals in a single day this week.

In the face of the new crisis on Lampedusa, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni has pledged tougher measures and is calling for a naval blockade of North Africa to prevent irregular migrants on smugglers’ boats from departing.

Von der Leyen vowed to crack down on “this brutal business” of migrant smuggling and help Italy cope with the spike in arrivals. But the 10-point plan appeared to stop short of a naval blockade, at least a quick one.

She instead offered support for “exploring options to expand existing naval missions in the Mediterranean, or to work on new ones.”

The plan also includes speeding funds to Tunisia as part of a deal with the EU to block departures in exchange for aid, helping Italy accelerate asylum requests and setting up humanitarian corridors in countries of origin to discourage illegal routes.

Von der Leyen pledged the Frontex border agency’s support in ensuring “the swift return of migrants to their country of origin” who don’t qualify to stay in the EU.

And she called on EU nations to accept voluntary transfers — a frequent source of discord — as the EU dispatches experts to help manage and register the high number of irregular migrants arriving in Italy.

Trying to reach Europe

Tensions have spiked on the island, which is closer to Tunisia than the Italian mainland, with residents expressing impatience with the constant flow of migrants and asylum-seekers trying to reach Europe from North Africa arriving on their shores — not just this week but for decades.

Migrant numbers this week briefly surpassed that of the island's residents, who have been witness to countless tragedies.

The Italian government intends to quickly activate a system for repatriating migrants who are not eligible to stay in Europe as part of measures to be decided during a Cabinet meeting Monday, Meloni said.

Earlier in the day, television images showed Meloni speaking to islanders expressing their frustrations; she told them the government was working on a robust response, including $53.4 million (50 million euros) to help the island.

New arrivals also have chafed at the long wait to be transferred to the mainland; TV footage on Saturday showed hundreds surging toward the gate as police used shields to hold them back.

The migrants arriving this week travelled in a flotilla of some 120 small, unseaworthy boats from Tunisia, which has replaced Libya as the main point of departure for smugglers.

The number of migrants making the perilous sea journey to Italy has nearly doubled from last year and is on pace to reach record numbers hit in 2016 when most migrants left from Libya.